GREEN-YAMUNA 2 LAST

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PTI

July 19, 2016

UPDATED: July 19, 2016 20:15 IST

Referring to the inspection report of the expert committee

Referring to the inspection report of the expert committee on the impact of AOLs festival, the petition said the panel nowhere suggests that the pollution of Yamuna is due to religious or cultural interference.

"Hence, while ensuring that all events which are conducted on the river bed are conducted in the most eco-friendly manner, it also has to be considered that citizens of India are bestowed with cultural and religious rights and the balance between the two has to be ensured and none can be effaced...

"The same is also in public interest as cultural, traditional and religious beliefs help in preservation of rivers and environment rather than damaging it. Hence, the same is also part of environmental concern and management and poses legal and substantial questions with respect to environmental concern and management," it said.

The plea said that successful conduct of the World Cultural Festival has brought Yamuna "back" into limelight without causing any "ostensible" pollution to the river which has brought "forth the need for reviving river-man relationship as that being of a mother and child as has been the culture of this country from time immemorial".

"From ancient times all major cultural and religious events in various parts of India have had deep connection to the rivers and particularly unquestionably sacred rivers like Ganga and Yamuna which also includes Kumbh, Magh Mela have not been responsible as the dominant or primary source of pollution in rivers," it said.

It said the primary source of pollution in rivers is industrialisation, western lifestyle and dependency on machines which have evolved in the last decades. PTI PKS RKS SC

This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.

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